Camels and horses and ruins and stuff, cont'd again

There are two things that Qataris are passionate about besides their camels. (Well, three things I guess if you count their Toyota Land Cruisers. But that is another story.) One of those things is their horses. The Emir owns Arabians, beautiful little delicate aristocratic Arabian horses. While Sheila and I were at work one day, Dave and Errol went to a horse show at the Equestrian Center. They brought back lots of stories of the beauties and whetted our curiosity about what was behind the large ornate gates that we pass each day on the way to school.

Last Thursday night we went to investigate, thinking that we were going to take in a couple of races. As luck would have it, we stumbled onto an international show jumping competition and slid into the stadium to watch a couple of rounds. Riders and horses from around the Gulf States strutted their stuff for the judges, circling the course with great speed and agility. I sat entranced by their strength and skill.

Later we walked to the race track and took in two races from a stadium packed with people. The race track is far too huge to be able to see the horses as they race the far side of the track, but a jumbo tron brings the action right to the stadium. The horses were spirited and sleek, and the races were exciting.

The real star of the evening, though, was the Equestrian Center itself. The place covers at least 20 or 25 acres and includes show rings, stadiums, race tracks (both sand and sod), stable space for at least 700 horses, parking and park areas. And they are still building. Qataris do everything on a grand scale.

The second passion of Qataris is their falcons. Falconry is a traditional sport in the Arab world, and much money, time and effort is put into training and working the gorgeous birds. Just this week, in conjunction with the National Day celebration, a display of traditional arts, crafts and sports has been staged. Though it focused on camel dressage and was called "The Way of the Messenger", one of the tents included a falconer and several of the fierce birds.

I am coming to understand more and more the way of the desert--the appreciation of camels and horses and birds, the deep connection of Bedouin people to the land.

Camels and horses and ruins and stuff, cont'd

Another day we headed north to the beautiful fishing village of Al Khor. The harbour there was a hive of activity, men mending nets, repairing boats,and generally preparing for fishing. The fish market offers every color, size and type of fish from crab and rock lobster to the lovely spotted harmour, and the silvery pink sheri. There is a general feeling of cheerfulness and industy about the place, a bit laid back, in tune with the rhythm of the tides.

With the flares of Ras Laffan to our right, we drove further northwest to Al Ruwais and Madinat al Shamal. We stopped for lunch at a village restaurant where we were served chicken curry and rice. Indian workers came and went as we ate, while Arabs stopped outside in their four wheel droves and honked the horn for curb side service. We have seen that a lot this week. The smaller take out--eat in restaurants seem to be happy to take orders from vehicle doors and deliver as well. Customers need not get out of their cars.

The northwest coast of the country is rife with ruins, most of which are not protected or even archeologically excavated. On our way to Al Zubara we stopped at the site of an ancient village close to the sea. Far from being deserted, the site was occupied by a group of young men having a barbecue and enjoying the winter weather with a pick up game of cricket. Graffiti marred a few of the still standing walls of the ruins. There is nothing to inform the curious about the ruins. Even the fort at Al Zubara is bereft of any innterpretive information.

This is such a country of contrasts. The abundance of the ocean, its beauty, movement and vitality enclose the barren desert. Bright blue waves gently crest on sandy shores but the land itself is dry and rocky, treacherous even, hardly fit for the wild camels that we spotted a few yards from the road way. Yet it is the land that is providing the wealth of the country. Pipelines line the desert like long strings of spaghetti. The days of prosperity from the ocean are long past.

Camels and horses and ruins and stuff

I have to say that I am gaining more respect and perspective on this country the longer I am here. It is just a little dry rocky piece of desert but the diversity of wildlife and plants, of cultures and languages is remarkable, and the depth of the resources both natural and human is noteworthy. We had the opportunity this week to explore some of these aspects of life in Qatar. This was the week of Eid al Adha, the celebration of the feast of the sacrifice. Islam commemorates the obedience of Abraham (Ibrahim) in offering the sacrifice of his son Ishmael. Isn't it interesting how historical conceptions differ? Besides the religious significance of the holiday, it is a time of family celebration much like Christmas. The city has been busy with special family events all week. Dave and I, along with our friends Sheila and Errol, took excursions outside of the city and avoided the crowds.

For us, Eid began with a Christmas brunch with our neighbours on the street, about the only ones who had not yet departed for Christmas holidays. It was fun to celebrate Christmas in this sunny, hot land with people from all over snowy Canada. Before the day was through we were treated to a thunderstorm complete with down pour of rain and hail (the closest thing to snow that we are likely to see). This was the first real rain that I have seen in four months.

Early Sunday morning we headed west across the country to Dukane, Qatar Petroleum country. the first stop on the way was the camel racing track just outside of Doha in Al Rayyan. Camels are close to being the sacred animal in this country and it is easy to understand why. In this barren land they have provided meat and transportation, as well as protection and companionship. In early morning before the heat of the day, the camels stretch their ungainly legs around the sandy track, their long elegant necks stretched out before them. Their feet are huge and nearly circular, as we could see from the deep indents left in the sand. Hundreds of animals are housed in the race track area, tended by young men of many nationalities. Camel trainers seem to be gregarious by nature, as they waved and called out to us from the backs of their charges, trying out their limited English. "How are you?" they called with big smiles on their faces as they passed us on the track.

The racing camels are not ridden by humans. I have heard stories of camel races in Saudi Arabia where the jockeys are young children. This is not the case in Qatar. Here the camels are ridden by robots with little whips that are controlled from vehicles cruising alongside the track.















From the camel track we headed west across the desert to Dukane, a secured town site for the employees of Qatar Petroleum, admittance allowed only to residents and guests. We were permitted to drive to the beach area and spent a lovely hour walking on the sand and shell beach and enjoying the deep aqua color of the Gulf water. The water has cooled considerably this time of year, but it is still unimaginably warmer than the Bay of Fundy in the middle of summer.

Our treck then turned south towards Umm Baab and Al Salwa on the Qatar-Saudi border before turning northeast again on Salwa Road and back to Doha.